


A Letter from King Richard the Lionheart

by belovedbright



Category: 12th Century CE RPF, Historical RPF, Medieval RPF
Genre: Gen, Humor, RPF, historical RPF - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2013-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 18:32:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belovedbright/pseuds/belovedbright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A letter from King Richard I during his captivity in Germany.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Letter from King Richard the Lionheart

Richard, by the grace of God, august King of England, sends his most kind greetings.

Because I know that you especially desire to hear from me and to learn the state of my prosperity, I think it fitting to first tell you of this.  Due to our most precarious state, I ask that you maintain the utmost secrecy regarding this sensitive correspondence. 

I have hidden in France a large sum of foreign gold worth at least 300,000 pounds silver. Regretfully, I find myself unable to convey this wealth back to England. To be brief, I have been imprisoned in Germany due to a hostile regime. In addition to the indignity of false imprisonment, Henry VI has demanded an unreasonably cruel ransom of 65,000 pounds silver. 

Therefore, I offer the following arrangement. If you will send the ransom of 65,000 pounds silver to Henry VI, on my release I shall procure the aforementioned gold. On our return to England, you shall receive one half of the foreign gold I carry. Let my seal on this letter be proof of my honesty in this matter. Once more, I would entreat you to maintain the secrecy of this matter to better ensure that we return with the gold without interference.  
   
In brief therefore, God willing, I shall return to England. I render to you the gratitude which you deserve for the very great fidelity which you have shown to me. And with the full intention of worthily rewarding your services, I ask you to continue the same.

Written at Trifels Castle on the 9th day of November.

Richard

**Author's Note:**

> Oh yes, I wrote medieval spam. Slight tweaks from my original posting of it on Livejournal. The ransom price and location are accurate. The phrasing was liberally borrowed from translations of 12th, 13th and 14th century letters. We now return you to your 21st century spam.


End file.
